Doha, October 28 (QNA) - HE Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al-Thani launched the country's National Environment and Climate Change Strategy on Thursday. The Qatar National Environment and Climate Change Strategy (QNE) was developed with the vision to protect and enhance Qatar's environment to safeguard the well-being of Qatar's population and ensure the long-term resilience of the economy.

     The official launch of the QNE was attended by a number of Ministers, ambassadors and business leaders from various governmental and private sector stakeholders in Qatar.

     During the opening ceremony, a short video was presented, highlighting the threat posed by climate change, as well as a comprehensive summary of the Qatar National Environment and Climate Change Strategy 2030 and the progress made so far as well as future plans in the field of the environment and climate change.

     HE the Prime Minister continued with a dialogue with a number of children on the importance of the environment and its preservation, and assured them that the State of Qatar will take all necessary measures to preserve the environment and combat climate change, as this is a duty upon us.

     QNE is an effort that builds upon Qatar National Vision 2030 (QNV 2030), which features four key pillars to create "harmony between economic growth, social development and environmental protection". Qatar has built further on this strong foundation by establishing a new environmental taskforce under the sponsorship of HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior to develop QNE.

     In his speech, HE Minister of Environment and Climate Change Sheikh Dr. Faleh bin Nasser bin Ahmed Al-Thani said: "Today we celebrate the launch of Qatar's National Environment and Climate Change Strategy, days after the issuance of Amiri Decision No. 57 of 2021 appointing the duties of ministries, which includes article 8 on the duty of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change of reducing emissions causing climate change."

     His Excellency added, "The launch of the Qatar National Environment and Climate Change Strategy marks a new phase of Qatar's efforts to address the phenomenon of climate change, as this strategy is one of the key pillars for achieving Qatar's National Vision 2030, which is in line with the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations and Qatar's ambition to achieve a leadership position in the region."

     A representative from QatarEnergy, Engineer Ahmad Saeed Al Amoodi, shared an overview of QNE strategy. Specifically, he elaborated on QNE's three national objectives that include enhancing the vitality of the environment, strengthening resilience of the economy and improving the well-being of the population. To achieve this, the QNE has identified five key environmental priority areas with ambitious targets developed for each priority.

     1- GHG emissions and air quality: Reduce GHG emissions to limit global warming and improve ambient and indoor air quality to better protect public health and the wider environment. To do so, Qatar seeks to reduce GHG emissions by 25 percent versus a business-as-usual scenario by 2030, enhance ambient air quality standards and update limit values by 2024 amongst other targets.

     2- Biodiversity: Enhance efforts to conserve, restore, and protect biodiversity for healthy and resilient natural ecosystems. To achieve this, Qatar will conserve and effectively manage more than 25 percent of its total land area by 2030 and put in place restoration and protection plans for key species amongst other targets.

     3- Water: Ensure sustainable and integrated management of all water resources.  For example, Qatar will reduce groundwater extraction by 60 percent, reduce daily household water consumption by a third and double desalination via reverse osmosis or more sustainable technologies amongst other targets.

     4- Circular economy and waste management: Enhance critical infrastructure for sustainable waste management and drive more circular use of materials. To do so, Qatar seeks to close and rehabilitate 100 percent of unsanitary landfills and achieve a 15 percent material recycling rate of municipal wastes amongst other targets.

     5- Land use: Enhance the long-term potential of all land resources. Qatar will prioritize high yield and sustainable agriculture production by driving a more than 50 percent improvement in farm land productivity, as well as launch sustainable urban planning initiatives such as mandating green building requirements amongst other targets.

     With QNE charting the next chapter in the nation's environmental journey, the strategy will also provide a framework to realize Qatar's 2030 ambitions while paving the way for long-term environmental management. A new cross-ministerial taskforce, helmed by the guidance and direction of Qatar's leaders, will be set up to lead and review QNE's implementation. This will be done together with the amendment of critical policies and regulations to support these changes. Lastly, a dedicated budget will be set aside to drive implementation efforts, alongside investment into innovative technology, and capability and awareness building efforts.

     The launch of QNE is a landmark step to champion environmental growth and prosperity in Qatar. QNE will drive a new trajectory that not only accelerates tangible impact across specific environmental domains, but also installs a robust policy framework, strong governance, and solid capability infrastructure to safeguard Qatar's environment for future generations.

     Following the launch of QNE, the State of Qatar is currently preparing to participate in the twenty-sixth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26), this November in Glasgow. As part of its commitments, the State of Qatar has recently submitted its second report on the National Determined Contribution (NDC) to the United Nation, in which it pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2030. (QNA)